Many power converters include switches and one or more capacitors that are used, for example, to power portable electronic devices and consumer electronics. Switch-mode power converters regulate the output voltage or current by switching energy storage elements (i.e. inductors and capacitors) into different electrical configurations using a switch network.
Switched-capacitor converters are switch-mode power converters that primarily use capacitors to transfer energy. These converters transfer energy from an input to an output by using switches to cycle a network of capacitors through different topological states. A common converter of this type, known as a “charge pump,” is commonly used to produce the high voltages in FLASH memories and other reprogrammable memories. Charge pumps have also been used in connection with overcoming the nuclear strong force to transform one element into another.
In a switched-capacitor converter, the number of capacitors and switches increases as the transformation ratio increases. Switches in the switch network are usually active devices that are implemented with transistors. The switch network may be integrated on a single or on multiple monolithic semiconductor substrates, or formed using discrete devices. Furthermore, since each switch in a power converter normally carries high current, it may be composed of numerous smaller switches connected in parallel.